FDM Printer Materials
There are many FDM printer filaments of many different materials and colors. We have experience printing many of these filament types. Let us know if you have any special types of filament you would like to have printed. If we do not have it in stock, we can normally get it in two-three days. If you are not familiar with filaments let us know and we can help select one that is best for your project. Here are a few of the commonly used filaments and descriptions of how there used listed below.
PLA Filament
PLA or Polylactic Acid is a 3d filament for most 3D printers. PLA filament is an eco-friendly biodegradable material made from cornstarch. It’s easy to print with because it’s one of the lowest printing settings of any 3d printer materials and generally doesn’t warp. There are a large range of PLA filaments available, with a huge variety in quality and strengths. Generally, it’s considered to not be as strong as ABS – but higher quality 3D printer PLA can result in a surprising amount of finished part strength. If you’re not sure what material to use, and just want something easy to 3d print with respectable strength and usability – A high quality 3d printer filament; PLA is worth trying out.
ABS Filament
Perhaps the second most commonly used filament is ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) this is a common plastic used in a lot of consumer products that require a durable material. Your phone case or keyboard is likely made from or has some components in ABS. Good ABS filament is stronger than good PLA and has a higher temperature resistance
PETG Filament
In short this is a tough material, it’s extremely durable. Some of the main benefits to printing with this material and common PETG filament properties are it is very durable, it’s more flexible than PLA or ABS, but also a little softer. You’d have a hard job breaking it in half, so if an ‘unbreakable’ case or enclosure is what you need, it has very low shrinkage, and therefore no warping. Ideal for printing big stuff. PETG is also very strong, it’s not brittle but can be scratched more easily than ABS which is harder. It has a great chemical resistance, along with alkali, acid and water resistance. It makes it ideal for printing anything that needs to be shatterproof or translucent.
PET Filament
Polyethylene Terephthalate or PET is another popular 3D filament from plastic bottles. This is a stable and harmless plastic. PET filament in its original state is colorless and crystal clear. However, when exposed to heat or cold the material changes its transparency. PET has different versions, including PETG. This modification is a clear thermoplastic with a possibility to thermoform and mold the item after being printed. You can also polish this with flame.
Nylon Filament
Polyamide better known as Nylon is a popular synthetic polymer that is also used in many industrial applications. This 3D printer filament is a cost-effective plastic. It is strong, lightweight, flexible and wear-resistant. Nylon is a great choice for printing mechanical parts and functional parts due to its strength and high melting temperature.
Wood Filament
If you are tired of producing plastics and want to see something new in your next 3D printing project, you can unleash your creativity with wood-like outputs by using wood filament. Wood Filament contains a mixture of recycling wood with binding polymer. Thus, helping you produce a 3D object that looks and smells like wood. Due to its wooden nature, it’s difficult to tell that the object is 3D printed.